Teen Pregnancy Is In No One’s Best Interest

Our Story

19 years of fighting for D.C. teens to have a great future.

Our Story

DC Campaign was founded by a distinguished group of Washingtonians who were deeply committed to cutting the teen pregnancy rate in half in order to improve the social and economic health of the city. At the time, the city had one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation. Public opinion research revealed a stunning consensus among residents of all ages about what it takes to reduce teen pregnancy:

Parents talking with their children about sexual issues

Investing in positive activities after school

Community-based sexuality education

Advocacy with and on behalf of adolescents

Making contraception more widely available

There are only two ways to prevent teen pregnancy. Either don’t have sex, or if you do, use effective contraception consistently.

1997

1998

Strong Minds, Powerful Connections: Helping Young People Choose a Positive Future was published

1999

DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Incorporated

2000

DC Campaign convened the Child Sex Abuse Prevention Task Force with Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc., DC Action for Children, Unity Health Care, and Covenant House, to examine the issue and incidence of statutory rape in the District of Columbia

2001

DC Campaign forms Best Practices Coalition with the goal of developing a city-wide strategy that gives young people the skills and motivation they need to prevent problems such as pregnancy, drugs, and violence and to achieve school success, healthy life styles and economic opportunities

2002

DC Campaign publishes The $747 Million Dollar Question, a publication that shows what the District of Columbia spends each year in direct costs associated with teen pregnancy

2003

Not Yet Adults published

An Ounce of Prevention/A Pound of Cure published

2004

DC Campaign establishes Coalition on Men and Boys

Standing in the Gap awarded to Helena Valentine

2005

DC Campaign exceeded its 1999 mission to cut the teen pregnancy rate in half from 152.1 down to 64.4

2006

Facts at Your Fingertips, and easy to read publication of essential teen data was published

Talk is a 4-Letter Word curricula was piloted

2007

Are We There Yet? Was published

2009

Helping Teen Fathers Succeed roundtable

DecemberThe More You Know, The More you Can Help a roundtable for frontline school staff